Hannah Creamer

Community School Sport Events Lead, Sport Auckland
Bachelor of Sport and Recreation in Health and Physical Education & Sport and Exercise Science

She loves her job as a community school sport events lead at Sport Auckland, says Hannah Creamer who completed a Bachelor of Sport and Recreation in Health and Physical Education & Sport and Exercise Science.

“I’m working with schools across Auckland to engage their Year 0 to 8 students in sport and physical activity opportunities, understanding their barriers, and working closely with the Healthy Active Learning team to help break down some of these barriers. I find it so rewarding to be able to take theory from my degree, consider what happens in practice and apply my learnings to create positive outcomes for the amazing tamariki I work with.

“Each community has really different needs, from economic barriers, to disability needs, to geographical challenges, so I’m constantly reconsidering the best way to get the schools and students to engage with physical activity. I enjoy the variety of each day, and that at least once a week I’m out of the office in a school or running an event. Nothing beats the feeling of seeing 500 kids being physically active and having fun with their friends when you know how many barriers they had to overcome just to be there.”

However, as much as she loves her work, later this year Hannah has a very different adventure planned and will be heading to the US for postgraduate study.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to earn a full scholarship to study at Smith College in Massachusetts to do a Master of Science in Exercise and Sports Studies. This is a two-year programme and I’m hoping to specialise in women’s performance physiology. I’m definitely proud of my scholarship and the opportunity to open new doors for me in the sector. I’m really looking forward to being challenged in my learning and getting involved with a different college experience.”

Feeling inspired
Having always been passionate about sport, Hannah says she chose to study the Bachelor of Sport and Recreation at AUT because of its combination of practical placements and theory.

“Experience is everything in order to be employed, so to have the opportunity to build my capabilities and my CV at the same time was a no-brainer! I knew I wanted something that would challenge me academically so AUT was the perfect choice.

“I came into the degree planning to only do health and physical education, and go into secondary teaching, but because of the variety of courses you do in the first year, I ended up discovering a real love of physiology and anatomy. This led to me picking up the Sport and Exercise Science major, which I loved the whole way through. Getting to do lab work and practical workshops, and then assignments based on real experiences we had across both majors made my assignments feel like they had a purpose beyond testing my knowledge.”

Throughout her studies there were a few experiences that made a particular impression on her.

“I was incredibly grateful to have Dr Charlotte Jelleyman as my final-year supervisor, and she was an incredible support during some stressful times. The relationship we had was crucial to my success in my final-year courses and she helped me develop personal characteristics that have helped me be successful in my job now. Being placed with her was an absolute highlight.

“I also remember sitting in an exercise physiology lecture, and for half of the lecture Dr Ed Maunder was focusing on women and it just felt like a huge lightbulb went off over my head. Learning about the paucity of research across women’s health in exercise and that even less had been done on young women was a real motivating factor to me. I ended up designing my final workplace experience project around this idea. I’ve kept that interest in physiology and am really looking forward to developing this through my master’s degree, and hopefully moving into the exercise science side of the industry.”

Advice for other students
Hannah – who had the highest grade point average of her cohort and graduated from AUT in mid-2023 – has some great advice for other students who are only at the start of their university journey.

“Having friends who were more dedicated than me, understood concepts better than me and had a better work ethic than me kicked me into another gear because I’m competitive. I wanted to keep up with them, and that ultimately helped me to just be better. Note taking was also a really useful skill. Learn how to take notes that suit your learning style and then save them all somewhere you can’t delete them. You’ll come to need them for exams and assignments.”

Her other piece of advice is to make connections.

“The lecturers always have time to chat, even if they’re really busy, and they’re so knowledgeable. Make use of them as a resource, and build strong relationships with the teaching staff and your peers. Once you’re in the industry you’ll be surprised how many AUT grads you run into, and positive relationships are absolutely key in this sector.”